Three major academy trusts have revealed the number of disadvantaged pupils set to lose out as a result of a “stealth” cut to government funding.

Figures provided by Ark Schools, Oasis Community Learning and David Ross Education Trust (DRET) show that, between them, the trusts had upwards of 1,500 additional pupils registered for free school meals (FSM) - and therefore eligible for the pupil premium - in January 2021, compared with October 2020.

But due to a change in the way the government is allocating pupil premium money from this month, they will receive no extra funding for these students until next year.

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This is because the Department for Education has decided to calculate the number of pupils attracting the funding in 2021-22 based on a census from last October, and not in January, as had been expected.

Schools will therefore receive no additional funding for pupils who became newly eligible for the pupil premium between the census dates on 1 October 2020 and 21 January 2021.

Schools losing out on pupil premium funding

The figures revealing the number of affected pupils at the three academy trusts were obtained by free school meals campaigner Andy Jolley and shared with Tes.

They show that, at Ark, there were 9,716 students registered as FSM as of 21 January, compared with 8,965 on 1 October - an increase of 751.

At Oasis, the number of registered pupils rose by 516, from 11,574 on 15 October to 12,090 on 15 January. These figures give only a rough estimate of the change, as they do not align exactly with the autumn and spring census dates.

And at DRET, the number of students registered as FSM was 241 higher in January, at 3,499 - up from 3,258 in October.

The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) separately provided figures showing a rise in the number of pupils eligible for FSM between October and January. This is slightly different to the number registered, but still gives an indication of how many children may be affected by the change.

The data shows that, on the date of the October census, there were 6,076 eligible for FSM at TKAT. By the January census date, this had risen to 6,520 - an increase of 444.

School census figures for January 2021 have not yet been finalised by the DfE.

Kate Green, Labour’s shadow education secretary, has described the policy shift as a “stealth cut”, arguing that the Conservative Party has “neglected children through this pandemic”. 

“The Conservatives’ stealth cut to school budgets shows disregard for children’s futures as we recover from this pandemic”, she said.

“The government’s mishandling of the Covid crisis has kept children out of school, missing out on learning and time with friends, and now they are cutting support that would help children most likely to have struggled with learning over the last year.

“The Conservatives have neglected children through this pandemic and now risk leaving them behind in our recovery.”

A spokesperson for Ark said: “The decision to change the census date is disappointing. Along with other schools, we have been encouraging families to claim their entitlement for free school meals during the pandemic.

“The number of students eligible for free school meals in Ark’s schools has increased significantly during the pandemic - and by more than 8 per cent between October last year and January this year alone.”

A spokesperson for DRET said: “Whilst there has been less funding available in the short-term as a result of this decision, we had budgeted accordingly and have worked hard to make sure that we have focused on supporting our most disadvantaged children.

“We’re proud of what we’ve been able to do, including providing laptops, dongles and food parcels and vouchers to families who most need the support, whilst providing additional pastoral and academic support at an individual level thanks to the outstanding commitment of our staff.”

A spokesperson for the DfE said: “We moved to using the October census to calculate pupil premium allocation so that all schools, including academies, can know their budget earlier in the year, helping them to plan ahead.

“We expect pupil premium funding to increase to more than £2.5 billion in 2021-22, reflecting an increase in the number of eligible pupils.

“We are committed to ensuring every pupil gets an excellent education, no matter their background.

“That’s why we continue to allocate pupil premium funding to schools at unchanged per-pupil rates, alongside significant new catch-up and recovery funding that is targeted towards schools most in need to support disadvantaged students’ attainment.”

Oasis and TKAT have been approached for comment.